Tuesday, 18 March 2014

Motorola’s current flagship the Moto X will finally start selling in India tomorrow onwards. This time around too Flipkart will be exclusive sales channel for the phone and once again, Motorola seems to have a winner on its hands in terms of the price. The Moto X will retail for Rs 23,999, but the wood-back versions will sell for Rs 25,999. Tomorrow, only the black and white versions will be on sale, while other colour options will be on pre-order.

As of now besides the black, white and the two wood-back (teak and walnut) options, Flipkart has announced additional colours. As we know, the much-praised Moto Maker customisation engine is not coming to India just yet. Only the 16GB version of the phone will be sold by the retailer, with no plans for the 32GB, according to a subsequent tweet.

One more thing to note: Unlike the Moto G launch, this won’t happen on midnight. In fact, Flipkart has expressly said that sales will start in the daytime, though the time has not been announced yet. It’s also not clear how many phones Flipkart will have in stock.

Given the Moto X’s specs and the innovative software features, the price is exactly what it should be. In fact, the Rs 23,999 price tag is below the international price tag of $399. Add to that the fact that the Moto X has already received a KitKat update and has earned great praise for its build quality, Motorola looks to have another Moto G like success story.

Samsung's rumored Windows Phone handset just can't stay out of the spotlight - and now there's finally a picture to bolster its confidence.

The photo above was tweeted by @evleaks, the same tipster who on Monday outed the phone's supposed codename, "Huron," and said it will be carried on the US' Verizon network. Along with the image came the cryptic caption: "Windows Phone 8.1-powered Samsung SM-W750V 'Huron' for Verizon Wireless."

The leaker also said the Samsung SM-W750V resembles a Galaxy S phone, and if this picture is legit then that appears to be accurate.

There's one small difference, of course, and that's the Windows button near the bottom. Galaxy W

Other than that windowed widget, Huron looks just like a Galaxy S4, with similar volume and lock/power buttons on the sides, and a resembling shape and layout overall.

The body also appears to be plastic, just like Samsung's Galaxy phones.

But with the Galaxy line so closely associated with Android, could Samsung get away with slapping "Galaxy" on a Windows Phone handset?

The smartphone's final name is currently unknown, but "Galaxy W" does sort of have a ring to it. Harbinger of Windows Phone 8.1?

The gadget website T3 says the Samsung Huron will sport a quad-core Snapdragon CPU and an Adreno 305 GPU, information it attributes to @evleaks.

Just as important as these internals is the Twitter tipster's claim that Huron will be powered by Windows Phone 8.1, the next major update for the Windows Phone 8 platform.

Among the anticipated features of WP8.1 are a notification center, an Siri-like assistant named Cortana, and Bluetooth 4.0.

The update is expected sometime around Microsoft's Build conference in April, meaning we may be hollering at Huron in the coming months.

Samsung’s recent launch of the Galaxy S5 left a lot of people disappointed due to the lack of the rumored 2560 x 1440 display aka the Quad HD display. However, LG might be one up again this year with the upcoming G3.

Thanks to the User Agent Profile found by known tipster @eveleaks, the LG G3 will have a QHD display or 2560 x 1440 or 2K. Its also known that the LG D850 is set to launch soon, with the D800 being the code for the G2, the D820 was the code for the NEXUS 5 and the D830 was the code for G Pro 2 launched earlier at MWC. It is assumed that the D850 will be the LG G3.

LG seems to be moving fast in releasing the G3 and supposedly wants to bring it out in June vs the September launch cycle to battle competition.

Other confirmations lead us to believe that Samsung will also launch the 2K Galaxy S5 later this year.

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Laptops, tablets or mobile phones—devices from the $34-billion Chinese IT and communications major Lenovo are widely known for their sturdy build and good performance. I can vouch for these traits from close quarters. I have owned the company’s Y500 laptop, which I purchased almost nine years back; the notebook is definitely heavy like a piece of rock, but is a fantastic mix of hardware and software that offers a good work and entertainment experience. Believe me, the aging laptop still rocks!

You’ll get the power vibe with the Beijing-headquartered company’s Vibe Z phone too. This is the latest addition to the Lenovo Vibe series of smartphones and is an ideal combination of striking looks, good design, captivating performance and latest technology to help you to do more in lesser time. We’ll talk about its performance later, first it is pertinent to throw some light on the broad trends emerging from the country’s mobile landscape.

The overall India phone market stood at close to 257 million units in CY 2013—an 18% increase from 218 million units in CY2012. India was one of the fastest growing countries worldwide in terms of smartphone adoption in 2013. According to IDC, in 2013 the smartphone market surpassed 44 million units shipped, up from 16.2 million in 2012. While this surge has been mainly powered by home grown vendors which have shown a tremendous and consistent growth over the past four quarters of 2013, the established MNC handset makers such as Samsung, Nokia, Lenovo, BlackBerry and LG have understood the importance of creating a diverse portfolio of devices at varied price points. Especially Lenovo, which has secured its leadership in the laptop market and has now set sights on the fast-growing smart devices sector.

Back to the Vibe Z, a 5.5 inch screen phone with full high definition display and a whole lot of interesting features. For instance, it is equipped with high-speed LTE (4G) connectivity (the first LTE enabled smartphone from Lenovo, if my memory serves me right) and a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor that helps you run all your apps and multitask at a flashing-speed of 2.2 GHz. The processor brings to this device a much stronger performance and better battery life than the previous generations of the same make.

Once in hand, the device feels a lot less clunky than its predecessors. It measures 7.9 mm in thickness and weighs just 147 grams despite a large 5.5 inch display. A solid metal frame and a laser-itched polycarbonate back enhance the premium feel of this R34,999-a-piece phone.

Switched on, the 5.5 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen shows bright colours and provides a great video experience. Vibe Z is powered by the latest Android 4.3 operating system which the company has reworked with flat design in mind resulting in a less stuffy and more organised interface. The phone also comes packed with advanced optics; it sports a 13 mega pixel rear camera with BSI sensor and dual LED flash. Let me elaborate a little bit here. Lenovo has fitted the Vibe Z camera with a large f/1.8 aperture lens. With the largest aperture lens available on a smartphone, the Vibe Z promises an enhanced exposure to low light for better imagery when the conditions are not optimal. It also sports a 5 mega pixel front camera with 84 degree wide viewing angle allowing you to capture all your memories in crisp clarity and in vivid colours. In my opinion, the 5 MP wide-angle front camera is over-average compared to smartphones of the same category; it is an obvious effort to tap the growing number of selfie enthusiasts.

To handle all these functions and to ensure that you easily get by your day, the Vibe Z is powered by an integrated 3000 mAh battery. The smartphone also sports USB OTG that enables you to access data from the pen drive while on the go or even charge other smartphones. This exceptionally thin, blazing-fast device complete with gesture controls, photo enhancement software and a plethora of relevant apps, is sure to steal the limelight in the premium smartphone category.

In terms of performance, Vibe Z is a smooth and fast phone with no observable screen lagging. Movies and video can be played in good quality with its sharp high definition display. Lenovo has introduced a cool smart touch cover worth R2,039 for Vibe Z that helps you to accept or reject calls easily and access time and weather related notifications even without even having to open the case.

In short, Vibe Z is just the right choice for people, who want the best of everything; be it work or play.

Review in-short!

The successor to the Lenovo K900, the Vibe Z is Lenovo’s new flagship smartphone, decked with top-of-the-line hardware to take on the big boys. But is that enough to make you buy this over a Samsung or Sony?

Look and FeelThe Vibe Z trades in its predecessor’s brushed aluminium and sharp edges for a plastic body with rounded edges. In looks, it’s not as gorgeous as the K900 and doesn’t ooze a premium feel. On the other hand, it’s much lighter and the rounded edges are more comfortable. It’s approximately the same size as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. So you won’t be able to use it with one hand.

Screen and SoundWith such a huge size, you should hope for a large screen and the Vibe Z doesn’t disappoint. The 5.5-inch IPS display has FullHD resolution (1920x1080pixels) for sharp images and impeccable colour reproduction. The viewing angles aren’t great and the sunlight legibility could be better, but neither are deal-breakers. Unlike many smartphones in this range, the Vibe Z has a particularly loud ringer that you’ll easily hear two rooms away. The K910’s audio output is clearly better than its rivals. Fair warning though: the packaged earphones start distorting at high volumes, so you’ll be better off using your own headset.

CameraThe camera is the highlight of the Lenovo Vibe Z. On the back panel sits a 13-megapixel sensor that takes photographs with the most amount of detail seen on any handset besides the Nokia Lumia 1020. The colours are good even in low light. It takes a while to focus, but it’s worth it. The front camera, is a 5-megapixel sensor with a wide-angle lens, which makes it easier to shoot selfies with people around you. Special mention should be made of Lenovo’s superb Camera app. It’s far superior to the stock camera app—easy enough for amateurs, but also offers tools for advanced shutterbugs. You can set the white balance, play with light metering, make GIFs, and shoot from the front and back cameras simultaneously.

InterfaceThe rest of the device’s software are a disappointment. The custom user interface is a departure from Android, to an extent where it stops feeling like Android. The changeable themes are gaudy or outdated, the icons don’t have a uniform look with other Android apps you download. Moreover, the rounded edges on all app windows look out of place and jar against the flat lines of the notification bar. We wish we could switch to the regular Android look, but alas, you’re going to be stuck with the customisation.

Memory With a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, the Vibe Z is capable of running any app and game at its optimum settings. And with 2GB of RAM to back it up, multi-tasking is a breeze. The problem lies in the limited 16GB of memory, since there’s no microSD card slot to expand it. Of the 16GB, only 12GB is available to the user, which fills up fast.

Battery LifeThe 3000mAh Lithium-Polymer battery can’t be replaced, but you’ll probably never need to do that. It easily lasts for a full day’s worth of usage, and charges pretty quickly too. The only problem is FullHD gaming, which rapidly drains the battery.

Final VerdictThe Lenovo Vibe Z K910 certainly has all that can make it a challenger for other flagship smartphones. The only problems are the limited built-in memory and the ugly UI. But if you can deal with those two, then you get a big-screen handset with fantastic hardware, a great camera and a long-life battery, for 34,999/-. Not too shabby!

Micromax has launched its much awaited and first Ocat-Core device in the Indian market. Micromax Canvas Knight is launched at a price of 19,999 INR and will be available online at the company’s website starting Wednesday.

Micromax Canvas Knight can be termed as the best looking octa-core smartphone in the sub-20,000/- INR segment.

Canvas Knight sports a 5 inch display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 443ppi. The device is powered by a 2 Ghz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6592T processor and is equipped with 2 GB of RAM and comes with 32 GB inbuilt storage which cannot be expanded.

A sneek-peek at the MMX Canvas Knight says it all...It resembles the lines of the Apple iPhone 5s

Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, Co-Founder, Micromax said, “Canvas Knight is another milestone for Micromax to bring the best combination of technology, style and affordability for the masses.” He further added, “With the launch of Canvas Knight, our first octa-core smartphone, we have yet again raised the bar of affordable innovation in the country”."

The revision to the HTC One aka the new HTC One or the HTC M8 was purchased by a lucky bidder on popular bidding website eBay for a meager price of $500 box packed in Verizon packaging.Considering a number of leaks of the handset in the past, the box gives more details than required of the handset all set to launch on the 25th of March.

According to the box, the handset features a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset, a 5-inch 1080p display, microSD slot for expandable memory and 32GB internal storage, a 5MP front-facing camera, UltraPixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, a Nano-SIM slot and 2GB of RAM.

The Ultrapixel camera in question is bound to be an 8 MP variant with 4k video recording as per sources. The phone will run Android 4.4 out of the box with the latest iteration of Sense UX.